Xa'an (Aetheric Realms)
Xa'an is the 3rd god of existence and the manifestation of "Light." Information Block Name: Xa'an Greater Domains: Light, Aether, Time Moderate Domains: Aberrations, Fey Lesser Domains: Sight Shared Domains: N/A Alignment: Unaligned Physical Appearance: Vaguely lens/helix shaped, Xa'an takes the form of a swirling cloud of colors (most commonly orange-to-blue or teal-to-red), spiraling to the center where a single blindingly luminous point of light resides. This point is often hidden or obscurred by the swirling colors. Symbol: Two comet-like balls of color forming a lens set at an angle. A third comet-like ball of color passes over one tail and under the other. These are most often primary colors (red, blue, and green) though primary pigments (magenta, cyan, and yellow) are used on occasion. Background The Light willed itself into existence as Veros played with the non-stuff of the void and existence. Sad that there was nothing to reflect his glory, it created the aether of the outer realms, lighter than air and fire. In this his light played but in time he willed some of it to condense into things that grew. Pleased with his work, he rewarded his dreams with the ability to dream, creating Oreb Nahash. He soon met Chactross, the fire, and was enraged that this other produced light unbidden. This resulted in the creation of the Darkfire Pillar and aether beasts. Shortly afterwards, Xa'an met with Yoglith and in an attempt to please that god created a swarm of meteors. This did not go over as expected. He then helped Veros and Chactross create a ring of gemstones around the Darkfire Pillar. At the recommendation of the Dreamer, and with the aid of Veros, he formalized the Aether domain and made it a fundamental part of the universe. In exchange, he gave Oreb Nahash power to create a new god, the embodiment of the strange and pleasurable. Later the Light played with Yoglith's Temporal Harmonizer, inadvertently created a portal to the past. He used this to create the Elder Things, so that they might be the first race in existence. However, unbeknownst to him but beknownsts to us, Veros undid this and placed the creatures in the normal flow of time, seconds after Xa'an had created them. Displeased with these, he scattered them and then created Glow Worms to spread light in the world. The world was remade and a Sun was created that had no part of Xa'an. As such, the god of Light retreated to the farthest reaches of the Universe and began to set other plans in motion. There he created Cygnus as a servant, and Nibiru as a herald. Xa'an is now dead, killed by Veros with Shurka's (un-needed) help. He was attacked for plunging the world into darkness and enslaving mortals with his beholders. Planes * The Outer Realms: A FarRealm-like parallel plane. Artifacts * The Storehouse of Light - A +1 Nourish greater artifact. It is a great sphere that draws all light into it and stores it. There are many chambers and hallways in this thing that serve as conduits of energy; subsequently, they can also be used for mortals to explore. This artifact can also produce light, when Xa'an desires. * The Book of Azazel - A lesser artifact created by a human empowered by Xa'an. This artifact grants the holder the capability to read, of performing any rituals in the book, the book contains rituals for accessing the Outer Realms, summoning aberrant creatures from that realm, and other such things. It additionally will provide star-pact warlock like magical powers. Like most artifacts, the book is intelligent and attempts to guide its holder towards its own ends. (1332) *'Temporal Vortex' - A swirling whirlpool of temporal energies, this artifact is the essence of time, granting the one who possesses it control over the past, present, and future. Hidden in the center of its blinding light is a vision of all that was, is, and might come to pass. It has the power to guide mortals to the future determined for them. This greater artifact grants a +1 to guide actions. (1430) Exarchs *'Nibiru' (512) - A +1 Mold Land exarch who takes the form of a traveling planetoid. Nibiru was created by Xa'an to be a herald to the mortal world. One of his first duties was to crash into the mortal world, shattering a portion of the Azure Aegis, and creating a crater. This would later become Skypeak Mountain. Eventually he turned his attention to the aether near earth and over the course of a thousand years created rings of dust that came to be called the River of Souls. *'Tsul'Kalu' (1174) (1439) - A +2 Combat Exarch. It appears as a giant, vaguely hominoid creature with 4 arms and 2 arm-like legs. At its center is an orb of green light, but this is covered by a thin layer of vines, roots, and leafs. Its arms and legs are comprised of the same but grow fur as well, and its limbs end in thorn-like-claws. A mane of hair and leafs covers its back. Though it lacks a head, two slits of red light serve the function of eyes. Xa'an commanded this creature to aid mortals who make pacts with it, thereby augmenting the sway of the wild realms in the world. This takes the form of the Fey-Pact for warlocks. Heroes Races and People-Groups *'Losalfar:' Immortal beings of light that Xa'an created from Eladrin. *'Dwarves:' A small group lives in the area around Nibiru's mountain. *'Beholders:' All of which currently live in the Vorpal Cascade. They have learned the concept of slavery. A few Beholders are granted the powers of Light-Tyrants by Xa'an, allowing them to force lesser individuals of their kind to serve them and cooperate. They also have a degree of control over the light element. (1123) Beasts *'Aether-Beasts' *'Elder Things' *'Glow Worms' *'Miasma' Plants *'Aether-Plants' *'Dromara' (454) *'Poisonous Plants': Found in the region around Nibiru's Mountain Landforms *'Vorpal Cascade': A group of five asteroids in a glowing cloud of aether at the edge of the universe. These asteroids were carved by the god himself to house the Beholders. These were subsequently scattered as stars and given powers that mortals might tap into, manifesting in them the warlock Star-Pact. Mara eventually established one of these as a north star, and one as a south star. (1354) *'Skypeak Mountain': A large mountain, in the center of which is a crater formed from when Nibiru fell to earth. This crater is deep and full of water. In its depth there is the warmth of the earth, which heats the water and causes a fog to cover the surface of the lake and cascade down the mountain side. This mist waters the ground and allows a dense and wild forest to grow. It has come to be inhabited by a small number of Eladrins and Dwarves. It was from here that the Elder Things entered the mortal world. Veros has turned the peak of it into a workshop. *'Ardune': A rough and rugged continent on the inside of the earth, in the northern hemisphere. It is largely rocky and its rivers tend to have harsh rapids. Many only travel over the surface for a short time before falling below to run out to the ocean underground. Plant life is currently limited to rivers and springs. *'Grey-Fang Mountain': Located on the western side of the gulf on the main continent, this place used to be part of the Vorpal Cascade. It used to serve as the home of the Beholders on earth (1066), but they were scattered by the Eladrin. *'River of Souls': A planetary ring created by Nibiru. It is called the River of Souls by mortals and is said that it carries the spirits of the deceased into the afterlife. (1160) Power Level 5pp per turn +1 Nourish pp +1 Mold Land pp +1 Guide pp Category:ARGods